PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Nov 21

Nov 21 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

Baroness McGregor-Smith, the Conservative peer, is to be the subject of a second investigation by City regulators over her final months running the troubled outsourcer Mitie Group Plc . bit.ly/2zYJ7gM

As losses at HBOS spiralled in early 2009, attending both its audit committee and then an audit committee for Lloyds Banking Group Plc was "one of the worst moments of my professional life", Jan du Plessis, one of the City's most experienced operators, has told the High Court. bit.ly/2zXpiGz

The Guardian

London is losing the European Medicines Agency to Amsterdam and the European Banking Authority to Paris, in one of the first concrete signs of Brexit as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. bit.ly/2zYlxRo

British Gas owner Centrica Plc is to scrap its widely criticised standard variable tariff (SVT) for new customers from April, and other energy companies are expected to follow suit. bit.ly/2zYlWDo

The Telegraph

The energy industry's war of wars with the government has escalated markedly after British Gas claimed ministers knew about its plans to end standard variable tariffs but pushed ahead with controversial plans for an energy price cap regardless. bit.ly/2zZ5oLs

iSmash, the smartphone repair business backed by Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross, is ramping up expansion plans with a deal to launch three new concessions in Maplin. bit.ly/2zZ5BhI

Sky News

The controversial sportswear tycoon Mike Ashley is nearing the final whistle as the owner of Newcastle United Football Club after receiving a formal takeover offer from Amanda Staveley, the financier. bit.ly/2A1yY37

Theresa May is visiting the West Midlands to promote a 1.7 billion pounds ($2.25 billion) investment as part of the government's industrial strategy, as the countdown to the Budget begins. bit.ly/2zYqQQL

The Independent

British workers may be willing to accept lower wages in the wake of the Brexit vote, according to Dave Ramsden -- the newest member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee. ind.pn/2zYCQ4M ($1 = 0.7551 pounds) (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom Editing by Sandra Maler)